Techno Park Drive residents protest before Hobsons Bay Council meeting

A group of Williamstown residents facing homelessness have demonstrated outside a council meeting calling for an end to the fear.

Techno Park Drive residents are dismayed following shock eviction notices from Hobsons Bay Council.

“Once a home, always a home” was the chant of Techno Park Drive residents outside Hobsons Bay Council chambers as they face being booted from their homes.

Long-term residents of an industrial area in Williamstown fear they will be homeless and are worried about the toll on vulnerable community members following Hobsons Bay Council’s approach towards removing “illegal” tenants.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, supporters gathered outside the council chambers demanding councillors meet them as a collective and explore every avenue that would allow them to stay in their homes.

Techno Park Drive residents are dismayed following shock eviction notices from Hobsons Bay Council without consultation.

During the meeting, council officers claimed they had “no idea” of the scale of residential living at Techno Park and once they did it prompted them to employ a “wide scale enforcement”.

Sustainable Communities director Penelope Winslade said it was “technically possible but practically impossible” to rezone the area to residential because it was extremely unlikely the state government would agree due to its proximity to the state-significant petrochemical site.

Laughter and scoffs filled the room on multiple occasions but none louder than when Councillor Jonathon Marsden asked if council could “turn a blind eye” towards allowing residents to remain before an officer replied it was not something the council had historically done.

Hobsons Bay councillors unanimously voted to accept a petition from residents and have executives prepare a report in response.

Councillors Daria Kellander and Matt Tyler were moved to tears when discussing the “dreadful” situation unfolding at Techno Park Drive and promised they would do everything they could to support the residents.

Ms Kellander said she had always known people who lived at the site and conceded she felt “powerless” in changing the outcome.

“I’m not going to accept this as being OK, because it’s not OK, in the midst of a housing and cost of living crisis this cannot be the solution,” Ms Kellander said.

Mr Tyler said he could not believe the situation had come to this point.

“We must ask every question possible regarding zoning and what can be done, we will do our best and to the residents that are here tonight, I am so, so sorry,” Mr Tyler said.

Outside council chambers, resident Lara Week called out a number of lies she claims were made during Tuesday night‘s meeting.

Juan-Camilo Riano-Rodriguez and Lara Week are among the Techno Park Drive residents dismayed following shock eviction notices from Hobsons Bay Council.

“The council has treated this community like we are disposable and powerless, we are not,” Ms Week said.

“The community here has amazing care for another and between us there are so many skills, talents, networks and resources, our strength is in how diverse we are,” she said.

“In the wake of Robodebt, it is absolutely startling to me that any government wouldn’t know that when you threaten people’s livelihoods, you threaten people’s lives … I cannot believe how this council has acted, it is so reckless.

“People who have done what council asked and made contact to talk about their hardship have had completely different experiences depending on who they are.”

Ms Week said one neighbour — a lawyer — was told ‘we’re really sorry, this is terrible, we’ll give you whatever time you need’ while another neighbour — a renter who moved after Hobsons Bay Caravan Park shut down — was directed to a compliance officer who really frightened her, he said she had two weeks to leave, and then said two months.“

“We are not counting on any one person or politician to save us ... our only real question is do you support us staying in our homes and community or not, if they do then we can look at solutions.”

One councillor said people should stop paying rent and landlords should not profit from this situation but Ms Week said that showed total ignorance of the specific situation of the specific community.

“John and Annie Link have provided homes to people way below the market rate for 20 years, they are not landlords exploiting people, they are community members providing affordable homes for people where all levels of government have failed to do so.”

She said that in council’s letter to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV), they acknowledged that many of the people who have been directed to leave their homes immediately or face legal action have significant life challenges and are likely to face difficulty in finding alternative accommodation.

Techno Park Drive residents are dismayed following shock eviction notices from Hobsons Bay Council.

Council Watch vice president Dean Hurlston said he had attended hundreds of council meetings but Tuesday night’s was the most “horrible” and it revealed a huge disconnect between council administrators and ordinary people.

“It was so emotional and raw, one minute you had several councillors weeping alongside the community they represent and the next minute you had officers spewing rhetoric and sharing false information,” Mr Hurlston said.

“It is never OK to solve a problem by evicting people, this council has a choice and that’s to show leadership and find a solution or prey on vulnerable people that it knew were living in these homes,” he said.

Hobsons Bay councillors unanimously voted to accept a petition from residents and have executives prepare a report in response.